
This might sound unheard of, but for Dr. Michael Luciano, this is the future of medicine. In fact, beginning August 1, he and his wife, Inna, will be implementing this approach— also known as Concierge Medicine—into his own practice. According to Dr. Luciano, Concierge Medicine is an innovative way of efficient and quality primary care.
Dr. Luciano comes from a family of respected doctors—his father is an orthopedic surgeon and his grandfather was a primary care doctor. His grandfather used to share stories with him about the way he treated patients in the past. His grandfather’s office was connected to his house which is a sign of how dedicated he was to his patients—they could always get in touch with him, which is important in primary care because you never know when you need your doctor.
“It’s not a 9 to 5 job,” Dr. Luciano says. “When you are sick, that’s when you need me the most and I want to be available for you.”
Suburban Life/Philadelphia Life spoke with Dr. Michael Luciano to find out more about Concierge Medicine, why he’s making the switch, and how it will ultimately benefit him and most importantly, his patients.
SL/PL: Can you explain Concierge
Medicine in further detail?
ML: Concierge Medicine is a
membership model which supplies
all of your primary care
needs for a monthly or yearly
fee, eliminates copays and deductibles
and replaces them
with unlimited amount of phone
calls or visits to your doctor. The
practice size is limited, insurance
is not accepted, and patients receive
a more personalized approach
to maintaining optimal
health by having their own personal
doctor. This unique level
of comprehensive and coordinated
primary care allows for
extended visits with the doctor;
24-7 access via cell phone, text,
email and virtual visits.
The size of my practice will be limited to only 500 patients and they will have extended, unhurried office visits so they have time to ask all their questions. Currently I have over 3,000 patients in my traditional insurance practice and had a long waiting list for some time for new patients because I don’t want to compromise care. There’s a big convenience factor where patients will have the ability to schedule same day or next day appointments. In addition, the Concierge practice will offer enhanced coordination of care with specialists and assistance scheduling appointments done by our friendly staff, and comprehensive physicals that allow more time than a typical physical would cover. Other services that will be included are annual body composition testing, onsite blood draws and convenient access to all medical records stored in a patient portal or uploaded onto a flash drive.
SL/PL: Why did you ultimately
choose to transition to this model?
ML: The current healthcare environment
has become very complex,
inefficient and costly.
Insurance companies have become
focused more on population
health data instead of the
health of the individual, which in
turn has increased the administration
burden on physicians and
their staff. I became a physician
to take care of people and it has
become more about checking
boxes off to satisfy insurance
companies, paperwork and a
complicated billing processes.
This is taking away time from
the patients and leads to longer
lead times to schedule an appointment
and crowded waiting
rooms.
The only way to sustain a solo practice like I own is to see 30 or more patients a day to sustain overhead. The large volume of patients that are required for doctors yields an average of eight minutes per patient and that, I don’t believe, is good health care. I want to be able to spend more time with my patients. Additionally, many physicians feel that health insurance should be treated like auto and home insurance. Just like car insurance doesn’t include your gas and oil changes and home insurance doesn’t cover a clogged drain, health insurance should be used to pay for labs, outpatient testing and hospital visits, and exclude primary care to improve efficiency and offer a better patient experience.
SL/PL: What are the benefits?
ML: Ease of access and convenience.
If patients are working
and can't get off, instead of diverting
to urgent care, I discuss
with them potentially through a
virtual visit call. I can see if
there's an issue, such as a rash,
and they can text or Skype me.
SL/PL: What is the fee to be a member
of patient of the practice, and
do you recommend patients continue
to have health insurance?
ML: My patients will have a
choice between a yearly fee of
$1,800 or a monthly fee of $165.
It’s extremely important for patients
to maintain health insurance
for care they would need
to get outside of my office, such
as outpatient testing or hospitalization.
There are unexpected
high cost bills; an emergency
room visit and hospital stays
can cost thousands of dollars.
SL/PL: What happens to those patients
that can’t afford this model or
choose to continue to use their insurance
for primary care services?
ML: It is with a heavy heart that I
will be unable to care for all of
my patients as I am limiting my
practice size to provide this type
of enhanced Concierge patient
care. I treat every patient like family,
so this it is difficult knowing I
will be unable to care for each of
my loyal patients. I always believed
in this type of direct primary
care where third party
payers can no longer dictate the
way I care for my patients.
I have thought about this for a while and I wanted to make sure my patients have a smooth transition and find them a new medical home. I have chosen a well-respected local doctor near my office that I will be working closely with to transition those patients to that practice. I take this very seriously and want to make sure they continue to have good medical care.
To inquire about becoming a patient of Dr. Luciano, call (215) 957-1100 and ask to speak with Maureen, the practice manager.
Michael C.
Luciano, D.O.,
Family Practice
DrLuciano.com
882 Jacksonville Road,
Suite 204, Ivyland
(215) 957-1100
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life Magazine, May, 2017.